You don't need to prepare anything, but if you have your iPad, please bring it to class.

In this class, I hope to make use of the iPads and laptops you've been issued.

If you are a part-time student or you have chosen not to opt into the Griffin Technology Advantage plan, don't worry, you will still be able to do
all of the assignments, but you will need to supply a few extra things such as printouts, different
colored highlighters, and a few other resources. (We'll talk about that if and when the need arises.)

What's the deal with the Monday due dates?

If you're exploring this website on your own before class, you might be a bit surprised to see that the calendar on the right has due dates on Monday.

This class meets only on Wednesdays. There are no Monday classes, but there will be weekly online exercises that are due by 5pm Monday afternoon. These exercises are intended to prepare you (and me) for the class discussions on Wednesday. If Monday is not a good day for you, you can of course start on those assignments over the weekend.

A presentation, using any medium or strategy, that demonstrates your ability to support an insightful, complex literary interpretation.

In the past, students have written their own fiction or poetry, that responds to the literary works we have studied. They have written and performed songs (in person and via YouTube). For example, Katie Lantz wrote a song and posted it to YouTube, synthesizing and commenting on the whole semester.

I'm completely open to whatever you want to try.

Recently, two students performed interpretive dances, wordlessly acting out key scenes from literary works. Rather than simply summarizing, they performed the same scenes in different ways, highlighting the different emotional possibilities within the text.

A shy student brought in a yellow piece of poster board, stood behind it, and delivered a monologue in the persona of the wall from The Yellow Wallpaper.

Be ambitious. Be interesting. Be surprising. Be interactive.

Evaluation Criteria

Length: Seven minutes. (I will cut you off at eight minutes. If you join with a classmate, you will share 15 minutes.)

Goal Statement: One page, typed. What intellectual task are you trying to accomplish for your classmates, and how are your creative choices helping them to achieve that goal? (Hand it to me before you begin.)

Ambition: where does your presentation show an element of calculated risk-taking.

Interaction: how did you engage your peers, giving them the chance to participate in the experience?